The Council of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) of the American Heart Association holds an annual Spring meeting. ATVB 2010 is the 11th meeting in the series and will be held in San Francisco, April 7-10, 2010. The size of the ATVB meeting has increased over time and ATVB2010 has over 1000 registrants and should exceed 1100 participants by the time of the meeting. The overall goal of the ATVB meetings is bring together junior and senior scientists working on basic, translational and clinical aspects of cardiovascular disease for the purpose of scientific interchange and rapid dissemination of new discoveries that are relevant to our understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. The specific aims of the conference are: 1) to promote the exchange of scientific information and experimental strategies among investigators working in diverse areas of great importance in cardiovascular disease;2) to identify and disseminate information about novel technologies that can advance research across all areas;3) enhance the transfer of basic science findings into translational/preclinical studies and ultimately to clinical applications;4) to encourage investigators in related fields to become acquainted and to promote scientific collaborations;and 5) to provide a venue for students and fellows to present data to an informed audience with an eye toward encouraging their development and retention in the field. The meeting is designed to meet these aims by providing a forum for presentation of about 500 individual poster or oral presentations. Integration and education of early career investigators into these discussions, our fifth aim, is a particularly important part of the program. The size of the meeting is small enough to permit students and fellows to actively participate in poster and oral sessions and to interact with one another and with well known national and international scientists not only from their area of research but also from the diverse aspects of arteriosclerosis, thrombosis and vascular biology. This application specifically requests funds for its effort to engage and integrate young investigators into the field through its provision of Travel Awards. A successful system is in place to encourage young investigators to apply for these awards, to judge the top applications based on scientific merit, and to recognize the awardees at the meeting. The funds provided by a successful renewal of this existing grant would support the Travel Awards to each of the annual ATVB meetings from 2011 through 2016 and will help to assure that the ATVB meeting will continue to provide a platform for early stage investigators to become engaged and contributing members of the scientific community. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This renewal application seeks support for Travel Awards for Young Investigators to attend the annual meetings of the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Meetings of the American Heart Association. The ATVB meetings provide unique opportunities for early stage investigators to meet peers, present their work, and interact with senior colleagues across distinct disciplines that have an interest in cardiovascular disease as a unifying theme.